Svalbard

Between Ice and the Future: Polar Bears in Svalbard

Climate change is hitting the Arctic particularly hard. Around the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, the annually ice-free period in the Barents Sea has lengthened dramatically since the 1980s.

The High Arctic experiences a mild January

Marcel Schütz

While large parts of Scandinavia, northwestern Russia, and Siberia experienced their coldest January in many years, the High North revealed a very different side.

Where the sea has completely changed

Heiner Kubny

An extraordinary heat event in 2003 profoundly and permanently changed the marine ecosystem off Greenland.

How Polar Bears Regulate Their Energy Balance

Marcel Schütz

An adult male polar bear can lose or gain up to 60 kilograms of body weight within just a few days - an amount equivalent to the body weight of an average adult human.

Deepest ice reef in the world discovered – and it’s teeming with life

Heiner Kubny

Deep beneath the ocean surface, where hardly any light penetrates and water pressure is immense, a reef made of ice is growing.

From Berlin to Svalbard – The History of the Ny-Ålesund Locomotive

Marcel Schütz

This locomotive tells a story of hard labor, technical challenges, and the human determination to extract resources even under the most extreme conditions.

Norway Pauses Deep-Sea Mining Plans Until 2029

Lisa Scherk

Norway has decided to halt deep-sea mining plans in Arctic waters until at least 2029. The move was announced on 1 December 2024.

Climate Change Puts Arctic Migratory Birds Under Time Pressure

Heiner Kubny

Climate change is altering the rhythm of nature, particularly noticeably in the Arctic. Spring now begins much earlier there than it did just a few decades ago.

Global decline in reindeer population

Rosamaria Kubny

According to a new international scientific study, the global reindeer population will decline dramatically by the end of this century due to the climate crisis.

Dani Arnold achieves the first winter ascent of the Tarantellen in Svalbard

Marcel Schütz

Swiss extreme mountaineer Dani Arnold has written a new chapter in his adventure career with an extraordinary winter ascent.

Arctic seals threatened by climate change

Heiner Kubny

Three Arctic seal species are threatened with extinction, according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Swiss Seed Samples for the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard

Rosamaria Kubny

Svalbard – On October 21, 2025, the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard was opened once again. More than 21,000 new samples from 20 international gene banks made their way into the frozen mountain above the airport of Longyearbyen.

On Svalbard, winters are melting too

Mirjana Binggeli

During a winter field mission in February 2025, an international team of researchers was confronted with above-freezing temperatures, persistent rainfall, and widespread melting across the Svalbard archipelago. An anomaly that has become routine in an Arctic where winter, once reliably harsh, is giving way to an unstable and worrying climate regime.

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Guest article

MSC Reaffirms Its Decision to Avoid the Northern Sea Route

Guest Author

The shipping company Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has once again reiterated a stance it formulated years ago: the Northern Sea Route will continue to remain off-limits for the world’s largest container carrier. This is a clear signal in favor of environmental protection and safety.

Svalbard

Between Ice and the Future: Polar Bears in Svalbard

The High Arctic experiences a mild January

Where the sea has completely changed

How Polar Bears Regulate Their Energy Balance

Deepest ice reef in the world discovered – and it’s teeming with life

From Berlin to Svalbard – The History of the Ny-Ålesund Locomotive

Norway Pauses Deep-Sea Mining Plans Until 2029

Climate Change Puts Arctic Migratory Birds Under Time Pressure

Global decline in reindeer population

Dani Arnold achieves the first winter ascent of the Tarantellen in Svalbard

Arctic seals threatened by climate change

Swiss Seed Samples for the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard

On Svalbard, winters are melting too

Get our app on your mobile

Guest article

MSC Reaffirms Its Decision to Avoid the Northern Sea Route

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